‘Distortion' of news alleged

Press, Volume CXV, Issue 33753, 28 January 1975, Page 2

‘Distortion ' of news alleged

(New Zealand Press Association) WELLINGTON, January 27. The president of the New Zealand University Students Association (Mr Alick Shaw) said today that the press and the N.Z.B.C. has adopted a policy of deliberate distortion of news from Vietnam.

New Zealand newspapers even refused to use the correct title of the liberation forces. They continued to ust the insulting words “Viet Cong" instead of “Provisional Revolutionary Government.” For two year the forces of

President Thieu had been attacking P.R.G, positions, bombing the civilian population of P.R.G. territory, and illegally continuing to detain 250,000 political prisoners, he said. The news media in New Zealand had consistently ignored the violations of President Thieu and have instead attacked liberation forces for regaining territory stolen from them by the Thieu regime, he said. “The Vietnamese people won a great victory in Paris two years ago,” he said. "The duty of all New Zealanders is to do what they can to assist in protecting the agreement. No purpose is served by weeping buckets over Phuoc Binh after having ignored two years of the Saigon regime’s aggression and provocation.” Mr Shaw called on the Government to honour the spirit of the agreement and to make a contribution to peace in Indo-China by recognising the Provisional Revolutionary Government of South Vietnam,